A fair goer touches a man handcuffed to a street sign at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A fair goer touches a man handcuffed to a street sign at the Folsom...

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A t-shirt is seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A t-shirt is seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in...

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A t-shirt is seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A t-shirt is seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in...

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A mans bound feet are seen during a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A mans bound feet are seen during a Shibari display at the Folsom...

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Jessie Coulter hands Bijan Boldajipour a bottle of water at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Jessie Coulter hands Bijan Boldajipour a bottle of water at the...

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Luxie performs a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Luxie performs a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San...

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Fair goers watch a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Fair goers watch a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San...

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Mike west performs a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Mike west performs a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in...

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Fair goers watch a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Fair goers watch a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San...

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Fair goers view and photograph a man handcuffed to a street sign at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Fair goers view and photograph a man handcuffed to a street sign at...

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Street art is seen on the sidewalk at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Street art is seen on the sidewalk at the Folsom Street Fair in San...

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A crowd watches a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A crowd watches a Shibari display at the Folsom Street Fair in San...

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A fair goer looks as he walks away from a man handcuffed to a street sign at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A fair goer looks as he walks away from a man handcuffed to a...

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Fair goers dance during the Light Asylum performace at the Folsom Main Stage at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Fair goers dance during the Light Asylum performace at the Folsom...

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Posters for a BDSM clothing vendor are seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Posters for a BDSM clothing vendor are seen through the crowd at...

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A man gestures at the crowd during a public bondage exhibition at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A man gestures at the crowd during a public bondage exhibition at...

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Mike Guerrero (center left) and Matt Brenner (center right) of Seattle Washington are seen through the crowd at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

Mike Guerrero (center left) and Matt Brenner (center right) of...

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A bound man with wings is seen over the crowd during a public exhibition at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

Photo: Raphael Kluzniok, The Chronicle

A bound man with wings is seen over the crowd during a public...

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Feet are seen bound during a shibari demonstration at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Ca, on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013.

The Folsom Street Fair turned 30 on Sunday, a celebration of boundary-pushing sexual behavior that now is a thoroughly established San Francisco attraction.

Under periodically cloudy skies that were ideal for fairgoers forgoing their clothes, more than 200 booths stretched from Seventh past 12th streets with stages on cross streets and alleys. Many of the men and women who paid $10 to enter the area wore corsets or kilts or considerably less. Others were fully clad, either taking in the exhibitionistic scene or taking part with their own brand of role-playing.

"This is what I do," said Liliane Hunt, a performance artist/model in Victorian garb who sat in a carriage being pulled by "my three ponies," people clad in leather from boots to head masks. "I'm classically trained in the theater, but each year we try to come up with something beyond the year before."

When the fair began in the 1980s it was a much smaller event, in a part of town that for most San Franciscans was far off the map. Sunday, people watched from the balconies of loft buildings that have risen in the past 20 years; event sponsors include Kimpton Hotels and the San Francisco Marriott Marquis as well as purveyors of bondage gear and gay pornography.

The volunteer operations included tables where sunscreen lotions and sprays were available (a handwritten sign: "Donations, please!") and two secure areas where visitors could check not only their coats but any other items of clothing they wished.

According to fair organizers, the 2012 event raised $325,000 for local and national charities. This includes the gate receipts as well as a portion of the revenue from sales of beverages at booths operated by local nonprofits.

One booth was run by Bay Positives, an organization that offers counseling to people 26 and younger diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Curtis Moore, the executive director, said that in past years the group has raised roughly $2,500 by selling water and non-alcoholic drinks to fairgoers.

While the funds are "nothing to scoff at," Moore said Bay Positives has also found the fair to be a place where they connect with youth who feel cut off from help.

"Young people will come up for water or Red Bull but then ask for information," Moore said. "That wouldn't happen otherwise."